The Girl with the Roses
by Four O' Clock
Summary: **Discontinued for now. Sorry ** Eight years ago, Prince Kaito met a turquoise-haired maid in his castle. After she disappeared, he thought he would never see her again. Eight years pass... Cantarella songfic, based on one of the PVs...with a sci-fi twist. KaitoxMiku Len
1. Prologue

**Hello there! This is only my second fanfiction, so please be patient with me. For those of you who have read my _Reboot_ fanfic, I apologize for my laziness and for the delay. It's been—what, half a year since then? Oops.**

**I'll probably be on more for the next two months, because it is now Summer Break! Yayyy~ (Don't get your hopes up, though...)**

**Alright, anyway, this is a _Cantarella_ fanficiton, based on the PV: ** watch?v=bb2V1M1bPKs** (Have you seen it yet? No? Go watch it. You already have? Okee, get ready to visualize Kaito and Miku like that. The other characters...eh. Use your imagination). I also somehow managed to twist it into a science/historical fiction piece(so far, I have no idea where my brain will take me with this story). It's probably going to be very confusing, because I'm using one of my original short stories as inspiration, and I never plan those out; they just find a way into my mind.**

**...and that's about it! Enjoy the story, and feedback would be greatly appreciated(but don't expect me to reply, because I'm just afraid I would say the wrong things ^_^'')!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid. In the future, however...(nah...)**

* * *

The Kingdom of the Sun has been in a riot since yesterday afternoon.

"They will soon overpower us!" You could hear someone cry.

_They,_ of course, refer to the Kingdom of the Sea. The two kingdoms had once been united. They were supposed to be part of the new empire, formed after the reintroduction of hierarchy. Reason being, were the founders of the movement to bring back hierarchy to their country, as their economy was falling apart due to political warfare. After they succeeded in their cause, it was decided that the Kagamine family took the crown.

However, their partners, the Shion family, realized that they would do a better job in rebuilding their country. Thus the two, who had once been great friends, turned on each other. They, along with their supporters, turned the empire into an all-out war. By the time tens of thousands of people were killed, they found that the civil war was devastating the population faster than any other war prior to their conflict. The Kagamine and the Shion family then split the country into two states, or kingdoms: the Kingdom of the Sun, which the Kagamine family would rule, and the Kingdom of the Sea, which would be ruled by the Shion family. Their relations have been tense ever since.

The Kingdom of the Sun was named for its climate. Being in the middle of the country, it was surrounded by a number of lakes and streams, making it a warm environment for its citizens. The Kingdom of the Sea, on the other hand, settles near the coastline of the country, and they profit greatly from the coastal merchants that ride their ships close to the kingdom, in hopes of exchanging their cargo for precious materials. From this, the Kingdom of the Sea is known very well for their goods. With the wealth that came, their kingdom grew stronger by the day. As they do, the Kingdom of the Sun starts getting weary, because they are suspicious that once their opponent gets enough troops, they will attack. This is the reason for the current uproar.

"We might as well attack now, before they get even stronger!"

"I fear for our children, oh great king!"

By the time it reached midday, head of the Kagamine family had come out of his room and into the balcony, where he could face all of his subjects. The second he appeared, the people grew quiet, awaiting the assurance from their king that they would prevail.

"Citizens of this kingdom!" His majesty called. "I have heard your worries about the power of the opposing kingdom!"

You could almost hear the crowd growl at the words _opposing kingdom._

"Fear not! I have found support from the country to the north! They will support us in the case that our enemies attack! We have nothing to fear! Once they see our combined power, they will bow to our feet!"

The cheers of approval that came from the crowd were deafening. It seems that their lands were safe, for now.

After his speech, the king headed back to his office.

"Kagamine-sama...is it really alright not to let them know of what we are doing right now, all those soldiers sent off, with their families assuming that they would be safe, only patrolling the kingdom borders when...they're being sent against _them?_ I mean...you assured that their family members would be notified." One of the king's councils said, worried.

"Do not underestimate me, Leon. I know what I am doing." the king huffed, I've already contacted the country up north. The queen of the Sakura Kingdom will be here soon enou-"

_Knock knock._

"Sooner than I thought, actually."

The door opened, and out stepped the president of the Sakura Country, known for their beautiful rose-pink sakura trees and long line of female presidents.

"I brought my daughter, Kagamine-sama. I thought she ought to learn of our country's alliances, if she were to run for presidency when she gets older. Hope you don't mind. Luka, sit patiently while mommy finishes this meeting."

The young girl with long, bright-pink hair nodded obediently and sat down on a chair, her white dress settling perfectly beside her as she did.

"Not at all, my lady. I'd let my twins play with her, but of course, seeing how disciplined she is, she probably wouldn't want to play with two rough children."

"Of course, dear king. Now, we should probably start planning our strategy, so the Shion family will crumble to our feet."

"Right."

**….**

The 10-year-old prince stood outside of his father's office, catching small pieces of the conversation he was having with his counselors. Anyone passing by him would know he was a good boy, standing straight against the wall, just next to the door. The wind gently brushed against his ocean-blue hair, and his eyes, with their shade of blue almost exactly matching his hair, staring straight forward,

He was in casual clothing today, but anyone seeing him would think he was dressed for special occasion. Kaito wanted to be prepared for anything, in case a family member or one of his father's friends visited. He wanted to be presentable. Then again, that clean, white, long-sleeved collared shirt and tailcoat seemed awfully hot to be worn in summer.

"We have caught wind that the Kagamine family have allied with the Sakura Country, my king."

"Lady Megurine accepted an alliance offer? That's rare of her..."

"She probably wants you to lose your crown, my king. After all, you _are _trading with one of their worst enemies." One of the counselors muttered.

The other sounded shocked at this. "Amethyst Country?! My lord, why did you not notify us sooner? We would've cast them away! Even interacting with the enemies of the Sakura Country...they will be furious!"

"No worries, my good man. Everyone has enemies. I would just like to have as many acquaintances as I can, so Kaito can have a peaceful rule..."

Prince Kaito walked away from the door, and towards his room. Just like his father to dote over him. He loved his dad, but he knew he would not be able to help him, as young as he was. That is why, he would be a good son and study, so he would be able to be a good king in the future. However, this also made him very unsociable, and he stayed away from interacting with people often. But today, he realized that if he were to keep his kingdom in good shape, he would need to have allies. Friends.

"You." He pointed to the closest person he could see, which happened to be a girl, only about a year or two younger than him, with soft-turquoise colored hair, tied into two pigtails. He saw that she was a servant. A maid for his mother perhaps, with that uniform that his mother always made for the girls. ("I think they would look absolutely adorable in these.")

"I'm bored." He said in a commanding voice. "Find me something to do,"

The young maid stood, flustered, before giving a quick, messy curtsey and stammering, "U-um...would you like to come with me to the g-garden? I-it's very pretty."

Kaito stared at the girl for a second. "Yeah, sure. Let's go."

The garden outside was so bright, it almost blinded Kaito. Being isolated in his room for so long, he'd almost forgotten about the fresh air...and that there were so many colors in the world.

"The last time I was here, the plants were just beginning to grow..." He stared at the flowers, unimpressed.

"I know right? It's incredible how beautiful they can become, in such a short amount of time!" The young maid beamed, handing him a bouquet of red roses, and Kaito felt his face growing warmer. Unable to face the girl, he turned away. "Well, ah...um, yea..." He gave a small smile as he stole a glance at the girl, reminding himself to carve it into his memory, and took the flowers.

He'd meant to say that the last time he was here was more than two years ago, but it's too late for that now. He was at a loss for words, and even if he did find anything to say, he was too flustered, and wouldn't be able to face the girl as he talked.

"Well, I'll be going now, your highness. I'll see you again!"

"Um, yea—oh wait! What is you nam-" Kaito spun around to stall her, but she was already gone. He looked down at the roses and felt a small smile breaking out. "Oh well. I'll see her again, after all."

The next day, however, there was no sign of the young servant. It was as if she did not exist at all. The prince was horrified, running around the castle, asking everyone—anyone about a turquoise-haired maid's whereabouts.

But after the Sun began to set, the horrible truth dawned on him. _She was gone._

Kaito's brain shut down in defense to grief, and that night, he caught a fever. The servants bustled around the manor, doting on the young prince.

After the night passed, he appeared to be healthy again, as if the fever was only a small bug that was quickly dealt with by his immune system.

"How are you, Kaito?" His mother asked, as he woke up and walked into the dining room for breakfast.

"Great, mother. My head hurts a little, but overall, I feel fine."

He did not remember the little maid with turquoise hair.

* * *

**Before I end this, I have a feeling I need to explain some things. First of all, the reason that I gave the two kingdoms such weird names is because I didn't want to copy anything from the _Story of Evil_ series, and using the Kingdom of Blue/Yellow. And then I just had this crazy idea where I thought: "Hey, the Sun is yellow, and the sea is blue, so why not use that?" And then I added in the reasons they were given those names. (Made me want to name Gakupo's country Barney or Eggplant Country, but that would be plain creepy.) So, yea. If names are weird, blame writer's block.**

**Second of all, the Kingdom of the Sea profits from trade, and the Kingdom of the Sun doesn't because this is practically a dystopian world, where materials are scarce. That is why, I will later use carriages instead of cars, and no planes, because by then, oil and natural gases would probably have run out. Speaking of dystopian world...Kaito, Luka, and everyone else's hair color would be natural because of genetic engineering. Science! ^_^**

**Last but not least, if you haven't noticed that I never used his first name, the head of the Kagamine family is _not_ Len(because if Kaito was the young prince, once he grows up and becomes king, Len would probably already be dead from age or something, so he'll appear later so I can kill him off at a young age. I'm so cruel). I am also just jamming in some other Vocaloids' names to use for minor characters (as you might have noticed Leon). The main characters are most likely going to be from the Crypton family, and the more popular Vocaloids from Internet Co. (Which includes Gumi, Gakupo, Lily...and IA, who is from 1st Place Co...but it's not affirmed yet.)**


	2. Chapter 1: Her Promise

******...this chapter is a bit shorter than the first one...what? I guess I should blame the A/Ns. Sorry, I shall talk less about my life and more about the story now. :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid...but if I did, I'd rule the freaking world.**

* * *

You would spot those blue-green, tangled clumps of hair anywhere. Miku Hatsune had bright, neon hair, which stood out against the the usual dark, dull colors that came from the absence of genetic engineering. It was in trend these days, and the costs were fairly cheap, if you had a decent job, but in the slums like these, they already had a hard enough time trying to find food, and no one would waste their money just on a trend that would be gone in one—maybe two—years.

Miku never knew why she had the colors she did, but what she did know was that all that hair is not at all helpful when she was trying not to be late with her chores.

_Why don't I cut them already?_ She thought bitterly. If only she could. _If I do...he won't recognize me anymore. It's already been, what, eight years?_

Though she knew her chances of meeting the boy—a young man, now-from her past was pretty slim, even slimmer because the boy was from the royal family, Miku had hope. She had always been the dreamer.

Putting on a small black dress with a few artificial roses sewed into the hem(_I wish Yukari wouldn't make these dresses so...flashy...) _she went downstairs into the building labeled "Orphanage," she slowed down her pace and opened the door.

The solar-powered lights were almost falling apart, and the counters looked dusty enough to be home to a handful of dust bunny nests. Behind the counter stood a familiar face.

"Oh, Miku! Good morning! You're pretty late today, even though you're usually the first one up. " A brunette-haired woman greeted her. Almost everything she wore was red. It was her favorite color after all.

"Good morning, Meiko. Where is everyone?"

"The usual. Yuki studying with Mr. Kiyoteru right now, but Yukari's business is a bit slow today."

Yukari Yuzuki and Yuki Kaai were one of the many occupants in the orphanage. Mainly because there had been a shortage of food recently, and nobody wanted an extra mouth to feed. Hiyama Kiyoteru was recently laid off from his job as a school teacher, and couldn't afford to pay off his rent. He's been visiting the orphanage for a while, teaching the children their basic skills in mathematics, science, etc. in exchange for a place to live.

In fact, his lessons could be heard right now...

"Alright, kids. Remember to finish your homework by tonight—Yuki Kaai, don't fall asleep in class!"

Yukari was older than the rest of the children. Her parents were middle-classed citizens, which could possibly explain Yukari's genetically modified hair color, but they were killed when their carriage fell off the cliff during a storm. They had an inheritance, but it was taken by her aunt. Though it was suggested that the inheritance letter was forged, since the old, rusty devices from the previous era can only do so much to match their handwriting, the old inheritance letter could not be found, and there wasn't enough evidence to prove Yukari's aunt guilty.

By the time she was situated in the orphanage, she was fairly old, and everyone usually tends to adopt the younger children, so she was left to help Meiko out. However, Yukari was skilled in sewing clothes, which explained her trademark gray-and-purple hoodie with bunny ears sewed onto them. With the money she earned, she even bought a sewing machine to further her business(though the solar batteries often needed to be recharged). Today, she is one of the main reasons the orphanage is still running.

The orphanage has been around for a long time now, often having troubles paying rent. Before Yukari came, Meiko would beg the collectors to wait another day, creating a pile of debts that had yet to be paid. Now, they have managed to expand the orphanage with an upstairs room for the large number of children coming in.

Yet, Meiko could barely feed all the occupants, and their rooms were so full, they had to put family members and people of the same gender in one bed. Even the beds were makeshift, made from old wood planks found around the streets(cleaned, before the older kids nailed them in place), and crates lined up together to fit into the bed frame with old clothes piled onto each other in hopes for even a bit of comfort. Sometimes, if they were lucky, someone would find an old mattress lying in a dumpster or on the streets, and it would be cleaned up for reuse.

For covers, Yukari and her little helper, Iroha Nekomura (who, like Yukari, loved to add animal features to her clothing, and sewed red cat ears into her hood, and had cat paws for gloves) sewed up old rags and clothing to make a pretty decent collage, warm enough to make it through the winter. The same went for pillows, only Yukari sewed a thicker pile of clothes and rags together, to make it more cushy. With the money they had saved up with homemade and recycled things, Meiko was hoping to be able to get supplies to upgrade the beds into bunks.

"Miku, we're running low on toast this morning..." Meiko called, handing over a shopping list. "Be a dear and get some for me, will you? Oh, and go to Teto's. I heard she was having a sale on her bread."

"Alright, Meiko."

Miku slowly walked out the orphanage, closing the door as softly as she could, afraid huge impact would cause the hinges to fall off and they would need to buy a new door.

The supermarket wasn't very close, but she'd walked further than this before, to the castle, on a daily basis. Even if it was years ago.

_The castle..._

It's been almost eight years since she'd been there, but she still remembered all the sights she'd seen at 8 years old: an enormous living room with artifacts that she didn't dare touch, in fear of accidentally knocking them over. The smallest rooms were close to being able to fit the orphanage. The larger ones could fit two. She hadn't seen the royal family's sleeping quarters before, but from what she'd heard and her assumptions, she guessed they would be larger than her whole neighborhood combined. But of course, she was only estimating.

"Good morning, Teto!" Miku called as she approached a small stand that, from the orphanage, was almost on the other side of the kingdom. It was a long and tiring walk, and Miku's dress was stained with sweat, but Teto's stand couple of sheets shielding it from the Sun, which made the trip a bit more bearable. Of course, the walk here probably wasn't even worth it. Miku couldn't count how many times she'd seen in the newspapers and on T.V. screens from the windows of stores about kidnappers and murderers on the streets.

"Ah! Miku! Welcome!" Teto grinned, with her mouth full of the bread she was selling. "Are you hear for the sale?"

The turquoise-haired girl tossed her tangled hair over her shoulder for the fifth time since this morning, and looked over to the "50% Off Everything" sign and nodded.

"Great!" The woman beamed, right as the Sun came from behind a pile of clouds and highlighted with her crimson hair tied into two pigtails—which was curlier and messier than even a lion's mane—pointed to her collection of an amazing diversity of toast, breads, and pastries. "Take your pick, love! Call me when you're ready to buy!"

Miku gathered all the things that her caretaker wanted, including a cold bottle of water from the fridge in the back(Teto's business was going well enough so that she could afford one), as the walk back was going to be very long and harsh. If anyone wished harm upon her, she could always pour the water in their face, though it won't do any good except stall them and give her maybe one or two seconds to run for her life.

After she took all the things that she needed, Miku went to the front desk and paid Teto with the card used under the orphanage's name. Since their orphanage was a non-profit business, the king would pay for most of the costs, as the government would in the democratic countries.

As she quickly turned to leave, hoping that the foods won't spoil before she got home, she barely covered more than about two or three meters from the stand before a carriage—and it wasn't one of those old wagons that they try to promote as "carriages". It was one of those rides that usually only the highest-classed families had—sped towards her at full speed.

One of the pure white horses with a coat that shone like diamonds knocked her over. As many more horses kept on coming, Miku could feel as if all the bones in her body was being broken, before the driver finally managed to pull the horses to a stop with a loud, strained "Woah!".

With her dress ruined and trampled and her hair messier than ever before, Miku laid there, unable to get up. As she felt herself lose consciousness her last thought was, _I still didn't manage to keep my promise to see him again._

Meanwhile, the driver, looking very flustered, mumbled a handful of "Apologies, my prince," before the neon-yellow haired man silenced him, telling him to carry the young lady back to the castle where he was visiting.

"I'm sure Prince Kaito would not mind."

"Of course, Len-sama."

* * *

**Oh boy...plot twist! Even I thought I was going to add Prince Kaito, but suddenly, I started to realize that I really shouldn't. After all, we want a long, dramatic story, no? Anyway...**

** I realized that I used "-sama" and no other Japanese suffixes, but I suppose that in the future, the class system would make people lose respect for the lower classes, so I decided not to add "-chan" or "-kun"(because that would probably make the manes sound a bit weird anyway. I always thought those suffixes worked better in mangas.) and instead, only "-sama" for the people of the higher classes.**

**Again, feedback or just plain comments would be great, and thank you to those of you who are following this story (I feel so loved~). Better stop talking now; see you next chapter~!**


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